Letters to the editor: Dec. 30

Blame the Boomers

There has been a lot of speculation about how our governor can win an election with 16 percent of the registered vote or how a neo-Nazi can dominate a presidential race. I have an answer: Baby Boomers.

The spoiled brats of America, they took advantage of this country at its time of world domination.

Now that they are comfortably retired with benefits that their children or grandchildren will never receive, they have nothing better to do than listen to talk radio or Fox News and stomp around their living rooms, foaming at the mouth because America doesn't look like The Waltons or whatever dumb television show they grew up watching.

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If we are going to ban Muslims from entering this country, let’s also ban Baby Boomers from voting, since they clearly can’t vote in their best interest. Sure, younger people need to turn out to vote, but maybe we're working 60-hour weeks and can't afford the time the older generation can.

Meanwhile, these people have all the time in the world and still can't figure out their Jitterbugs or how to get the flashing 12:00 off their VCRs, yet they have the nerve to think they ever worked harder than us.

Jay Griffith

Nicholasville

Hungry for peace

The problems we face in this world today are many, including ongoing war. I believe that people fight because they are hungry. Fill a man’s stomach and I believe he will be less inclined to fight.

But fill his stomach and his wallet, and he may forget he was ever in a fight. How do we do that, you may ask. The answers are right in front of you but you don't believe it. It’s simple. Every country in the world needs to pitch in and start farming the Earth's deserts.

We Americans only have it so good because of our topsoil. Imagine what this country would be like if everywhere you looked all you saw was sand. You wouldn't have anywhere to grow vegetables and we too would be a Third World country.

How do we farm the Earth’s deserts, you may ask. One greenhouse at a time, dirt could be shipped from countries with good topsoil to these Third World countries with no topsoil.

Chris Reeves

Lexington

Failing freedom

Much has been written concerning how little we have asked of the general public to defend our freedoms in the various wars we have recently undertaken.

I think we, the public, are now being asked to defend those freedoms and the freedoms of those who strive to flee dictators when we are asked to accept a very small risk of terrorist attack by taking in refugees from Syria.

We are failing miserably at this task.

Jack Morris

Stamping Ground

What’s a god to do?

People by the millions (billions?) pray for world peace, for refugees, for starving children, etc. Why aren’t their prayers answered? I think that I have discovered the answer — athletes.

Just about every time a football player scores a touchdown or makes a big tackle, he points to the sky and gives thanks for God’s help. They pray at the free-throw line and then point to heaven when the shot falls through.

Perhaps God is so busy with sporting events that he/she doesn’t have time to deal with starvation and war. Just imagine what God must be thinking. “I’d like to feed that starving kid, but my guy is going for a big catch in the end zone. Wait, someone over there is making the sign of the cross on a free-throw line. What is a god to do?”

I saw a bumper sticker that read, “Nothing Fails Like Prayer.” Wrong, prayer seems to work for athletes.

Karl Kuhn

Richmond

Criminal reforms

Our new governor should consider these changes in our laws and policies on crime:

While maintaining capital punishment, allow a defendant to avoid the death penalty by timely choosing to plead guilty and accept life without the possibility of parole or only after 25 to 40 years. This would eliminate the possibility of a reversal, the agony of one or more trials for the family and protect the public.

Our criminal justice system (especially at the federal level) does a good job of putting repeat drug dealers in jail for long periods. However, the system fails miserably in reducing demand for drugs. Without demand, there would be no supply.

One approach is to tie driving privileges to possession of drugs. When young people (or anyone for that matter) use drugs for recreational purposes and are convicted, they should lose their driving license for a meaningful period.

This would deter many kids. I do not advocate long jail sentences for possession, but there must be more significant consequences.

Why not require drivers who are stopped by police to remove their keys and place them on the dashboard? Officers would know immediately if they faced a potential danger.